While many find the sport of tennis a bit stuffy, Hollywood has found romance on the court for years. From British rom-com Wimbledon to steamy thriller Match Point, filmmakers have found a way to put the love into 40-love. The latest in this line is Challengers, directed by Call Me By Your Name’s Luca Guadagnino.
Zendaya continues her remarkable run of roles as Tashi, a former tennis prodigy whose career was stolen by injury. She now coaches her husband Art (Mike Faist) one of the best in the world. Things become complicated when Art is drawn against Patrick (Josh O’Connor) in the final of the Challenger tournament in New York. Patrick is a volatile sort whose career has been on the down-slide, but was the former best friend of Art, and ex-lover of Tashi. Complicated!
In the lead up to the match, all three tease, manipulate and conspire in a love triangle that has been thirteen years in the making.
Challengers’ strength is in its casting. O’Connor may be best known as the gawky younger Prince Charles in The Crown, but he broke through in passionate love story God’s Own Country, and is more than comfortable playing the broadly dislikable character in this trio. Faist is accomplished as the more level-headed of the three, someone who you believe Tashi would see as a more stable partner, yet still have a tumultuous relationship of his own with Patrick.
Zendaya’s is the most complex character – indeed it is perhaps the most intricate role of her young career. She is not there to be fought over by men, even if they do try. Instead, she is a driven, unapologetic taskmaster whose love for the game is greater than that for either player. No character here is a pillar of virtue, and that moral greyness is what makes their interplay so fascinating. While there aren’t particularly explicit sex scenes, the tension between all three raises the temperature to pearl-clutching levels.
Guadagnino is an exemplary director, interested in playing around with timelines. While it is more dialogue-heavy than his previous films, he still finds intensity in silent moments, stolen looks, and the sweaty cauldron of the tennis court.
It’s interesting how tennis is a factor in the storytelling rather than some vague canvas, being the prime focus of those on screen as well as using the short career of an athlete (we see them between their late teens and early thirties) to make everything feel dramatically dense.
He’s matched gorgeously with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ score, which gives everything the feel of an 80s erotic thriller, despite being set in the present day. One complaint is that the interweaving storylines and numerous flashbacks to when the three were friends, can become tiring. However, it’s the price you pay for interesting filmmaking such as this.
Challengers has been marketed heavily off the back of Zendaya’s involvement, but those looking for a by-the-numbers romantic drama from the Dune star will be in for a shock. Guadagnino’s playful, grown-up thriller manages to include sporting obsession as part of the lust, making for a film that plays on your mind.